1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a method of and a device for increasing the wettability of a porous body vis a vis a fluid.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many industrial applications it is necessary to increase significantly the wettability of porous bodies, i.e. their hydrophilic character vis a vis liquids or gases.
Various methods are already in use. In one method that is known in itself, for example, the porous body to be treated is dipped in a bath containing surfactants and then heated to evaporate the water contained in the porous body.
This method is irksome and requires the porous body to be heated, which can cause unwanted modification of its structure or its shape if the body is made from materials having a relatively low melting point.
If the porous body is made from molded powders, in particular by sintering, mixing a powdered solid surfactant with the powders and using hydrophilic treated powders are both known in themselves.
However, when the porous body is made from such powders it is necessary to heat them to obtain the cohesion of the porous body.
In a molding process using sintering, temperatures in the order of 200.degree. C. to 250.degree. C. are frequently attained.
Heating disrupts the hydrophilic character of powders and the properties of the surfactants.
An aim of the present invention is to remedy the above drawbacks and to propose a treatment method that can be applied directly to porous bodies already formed, without heating them.